| Controllable drive for a motor vehicle, in particular for a coolant pump -> Monitor Keywords |
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Controllable drive for a motor vehicle, in particular for a coolant pumpRelated Patent Categories: Pumps, Including Disengageable Rotary Or Frangible Drive ConnectionControllable drive for a motor vehicle, in particular for a coolant pump description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070110594, Controllable drive for a motor vehicle, in particular for a coolant pump. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS [0001] The right of foreign priority is claimed under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 119(a) based on Federal Republic of Germany Application No. 10 2005 052 559.8, filed Nov. 2, 2005, the entire contents of which, including the specification, drawings, claims and abstract, are incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to a controllable drive for a motor vehicle, in particular a fluid friction drive that is suitable for driving an engine coolant pump. [0003] The commonly assigned, earlier filed German patent application No. 10 2004 009 073.4 discloses a controllable drive for a coolant pump for a motor vehicle, wherein the control is preferably performed by means of a controllable fluid friction coupling which is connected between the drive, preferably a pulley, and the rotor of the coolant pump. The fluid friction coupling is actuated by means of an actuator which is preferably embodied as a magnetic coil and interacts with an armature which actuates valves for filling and evacuating the working space of the fluid friction coupling. In the earlier patent application, the actuator, which is anchored in a stationary manner, or the magnetic coil is arranged outside the coupling, while the armature which is acted on by the magnetic coil is situated within the coupling. There is therefore a coupling housing wall, made from different materials, situated between the magnetic coil and the armature, with both non-magnetically-conductive material as well as magnetically conductive (ferromagnetic) material being provided. A disadvantage of this construction is that the magnetic flux from the coil to the armature is disrupted and is adversely affected in terms of its effectiveness, by the coupling housing that separates the two. As a result, the coil for generating the required attractive force must be dimensioned to be larger on account of the magnetic losses, resulting in additional weight and additional costs. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0004] One object of the present invention is therefore to provide an improved controllable drive of the aforementioned type wherein the efficiency of the actuator for actuating the control device is increased, and therefore the weight and costs of the drive are reduced. [0005] Another object of the invention is to provide an improved coolant pump assembly and a motor vehicle embodying the improved cooling pump assembly. [0006] According to one aspect of the invention, there has been provided a controllable drive suitable for use in a coolant pump, comprising: a rotatably mounted shaft; a driven member which is rotationally fixedly mounted on the shaft; a driving member which comprises a coupling housing and which is mounted so as to be rotatable relative to the shaft and to form a coupling region between the driving member and the driven member for holding a viscous fluid; a fluid reservoir communicating with the coupling region via at least one first flow path and at least one second flow path for the viscous fluid; and an actuation device for controlling at least one of said flow paths, wherein--the actuation device is arranged within the coupling housing. [0007] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a coolant pump assembly for an engine, comprising a coolant pump having a housing with a housing throat, and a drive as defined above, wherein the shaft is mounted in the housing throat and the coupling housing of the drive is mounted on the housing throat. [0008] The invention further provides a motor vehicle comprising an engine and a coolant pump assembly as defined above for circulating engine coolant in the engine. [0009] Further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of preferred embodiments that follows, when considered together with the accompanying figures of drawing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0010] In the drawings: [0011] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a controllable drive for a coolant pump according to the invention; [0012] FIG. 2 is a detailed cross-sectional view showing a partial section through the throat of the coolant pump housing; and [0013] FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a section through a speed measuring device in the region of the magnetic coil. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [0014] The invention provides a design with the actuator or magnetic coil being arranged within the coupling. There is therefore no coupling wall or solid material between the armature plate and the magnetic coil which could disrupt the magnetic flux between the coil and the armature. Rather, the arrangement according to the invention of the magnetic coil within the coupling makes it possible for a closed magnetic field to form, resulting in an increase in the attractive force acting on the armature. As a result, the magnetic coil can be dimensioned to be smaller, reducing the weight and costs of the entire drive. [0015] As before, the magnetic coil is anchored in a stationary manner, while the armature rotates with the coupling housing or the drive input body. In order to prevent contact between the armature and the magnetic coil, according to the invention, a stop is provided on the coupling housing, this stop limiting the axial movement of the armature in the direction of the magnetic coil in such a way that a gap remains in each case between the armature and the magnetic coil. [0016] In order to further improve the magnetic flux, the magnetic coil is preferably arranged in a casing which is approximately horseshoe-shaped in cross section and is made from a magnetically conductive material. The ends of the U-shaped coil housing project beyond the coil in the axial direction, and together with the concentrically arranged armature, form a closed, i.e., uninterrupted, magnetic circuit. The field lines of the magnetic circuit are therefore not disrupted or deflected and thus run concentrically and in a clustered fashion. This provides the advantage that the armature is optimally situated in the magnetic flux, and a relatively small coil can be used in order to apply the required attractive force. [0017] According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the magnetic coil or the coil housing is encased by a plastic injection-molded encapsulation, the casing simultaneously serving as a retaining means and serving to protect the magnetic coil. The injection-molded encapsulation can also be utilized to hold and protect electrical supply lines. [0018] According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, a speed measuring arrangement is integrated into the controllable drive or coupling housing. The speed measuring arrangement comprises at least one, preferably six permanent magnets which rotate with the pump shaft, and one speed sensor which is arranged so as to be stationary and preferably operates according to the known Hall principle. The permanent magnets are preferably fixedly connected to the shaft in a holder embodied as a plastic ring. The speed sensor is advantageously accommodated in, e.g., molded into, the plastic injection-molded encapsulation. The speed measurement device allows a higher level of control accuracy to be obtained. [0019] According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the controllable drive is embodied as a fluid friction coupling of the general type that is known per se, with the housing, which is driven via a pulley, driving a coupling disk which is arranged on the shaft. The speed is controlled by controlling the filling of the working space of the fluid friction coupling. An inlet valve and a return valve between the working space and the reservoir are actuated by the actuator and the armature, in conjunction with a return spring. Continue reading about Controllable drive for a motor vehicle, in particular for a coolant pump... Full patent description for Controllable drive for a motor vehicle, in particular for a coolant pump Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Controllable drive for a motor vehicle, in particular for a coolant pump patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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